“This is the information on Arianna Balloa.”

Just as I was about to leave after finishing all my tasks, Betty quietly handed me a sheet of paper.

It was the investigation data on Arianna Balloa that I had instructed earlier.

“You brought it faster than I expected.”

“She turned out to be someone who leaves more traces than expected.”

As I looked at her with a surprised face, Betty grinned and handed me one more sheet.

“And this summarizes Lady Balloa’s movements after coming up to the capital. It wasn’t difficult to find out, perhaps because she wasn’t particularly hiding while going around.”

I looked at the documents Betty handed me and let out an empty laugh.

How ridiculous to leave so many traces and not hide at all while doing something that should be more secretive than anyone else.

“Is she originally a careless personality?”

“Lady Balloa? No, but she seems to be… overconfident in her abilities.”

Betty hesitated for a moment before answering, as if she couldn’t find the right words.

She thinks everything will go well because she is overconfident in her abilities.

Is that why she leaves so much information so casually?

I scoffed as I looked at the paper that had quite detailed descriptions of her and her movements so far.

How did Lloyd manage to pick such a person?

“Her movements are relatively simple. The townhouse of the Duke of Balloa, the Duke of Alois, the parties she’s invited to… and what’s this? The merchant district?”

Other than following Lloyd, there didn’t seem to be anything special, but one of them caught my eye.

The merchant district.

Just like with Adela Gilroyt, and Lloyd the other day, now even Arianna Balloa.

What’s in the merchant district?

“I investigated that too, and she moved together with Young Duke Alois. The place they mainly frequented is the Beber Guild, a guild that recently filed for bankruptcy.”

“The Beber Guild, isn’t that the one that went bankrupt due to lack of funds? I think I heard that the guildmaster had an exceptional spending habit.”

“Yes. That’s right. Unable to handle the guildmaster’s spending, they eventually had to sell the guild and it was taken over by someone else through bankruptcy.”

Betty nodded in response to my words.

“The acquirer is a person named Gilbert Burn, and we’re investigating who’s behind him.”

The guild that went bankrupt due to lack of funds was acquired by Gilbert Burn, but the ones frequenting it are actually not the acquirer but other people.

Doesn’t this make it look like they are behind it to anyone?

“We can’t rule out the possibility of it being someone else, but it’s probably Lloyd or the Balloas. Have them confirm and find out more with that in mind.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I instructed Betty to move forward with the assumption that Lloyd or Duke Balloa is behind it.

Betty nodded and jotted down my instructions briefly, and I finished examining the documents she had investigated about Arianna Balloa.

She received a typical education as a noble lady.

Her relationship with her father is not very good.

She has a great desire for knowledge and has experienced several broken engagements.

And Duke Balloa also looks for his daughter from time to time when he needs her.

I stared at the facts about her and thought that I should meet her in person after all.

“There was a tea party hosted by the Marchioness of Perche next week, right?”

“Yes. I heard it’s an event mainly for the moderates, with a few imperials and noble ladies she usually associates with.”

Since you said you would attend, I sent a reply, Betty blinked.

The Marchioness of Perche’s tea party.

It’s an event that any prominent noblewoman in high society would want to attend at least once.

The name Perche has that much influence in social circles, and the people invited are also prominent figures.

As such, it’s an honor for anyone to receive an invitation.

Perhaps as a token of appreciation for sending a few dresses from Madame de Parr to her second daughter some time ago, the Marchioness always sent me an invitation whenever she hosted a party.

She tried to relieve the burden as much as possible by adding, “You don’t have to come if you’re busy,” but she never forgot to say that there would be many people who could help me if I attended.

“I should write a letter to the Marchioness.”

“You’re not going? I heard some people from the south are also attending this time.”

Misunderstanding that I intended to express my absence, Betty asked with wide eyes.

The Marchioness had already expressed her intention to especially help me by having many southern nobles, who are mostly of the noble faction, attend this tea party.

It was a fact that Betty already knew, so she seemed to be trying to persuade me that I must attend, but…

“I will attend. I can’t miss such an event.”

“Right? You surprised me, Your Highness.”

Relieved for a moment at my words, Betty looked at me with a face that asked why I was writing a letter then.

“To ask her to invite someone.”

“Who? Ah. Don’t tell me, Your Highness…”

And I smiled at her surprised face without saying a word.

Going to see Leoprick first thing in the morning the next day was quite impulsive.

It was partly because I hadn’t seen him for a while, as he had been busy day and night recently due to the support project issues.

Perhaps because of that, he also hadn’t come to sleep in the same room every day as we had planned.

Actually, those couldn’t really be reasons, but I had no other words to explain it.

It was a decision that could only be called truly impulsive.

When I said I was going to see him, Betty’s eyes widened and Jen, who was dressing me, blushed and let out a short scream.

They did apologize right away, saying it was a reckless act, but for some reason, the excitement on the faces of the maids in the room did not fade.

Is this something to be so excited about?

Feeling my face turning red for no reason at their reaction, I left the room without taking a single maid with me.

Betty stubbornly insisted on coming with me, but I instructed her to go to the office and organize the necessary tasks, then escaped as if running away.

I know they must have been surprised because it’s not something I usually do, but they didn’t need to make such a fuss.

I was so flustered by the maids’ reactions that I didn’t even think about what to say to him when I met him, and just moved my feet.

There was also a thoughtless idea that since there would be many things to talk about anyway, I would talk about something when I saw him.

I could talk about the east, the north, or even about Lloyd, who had played tricks to meet me last time.

Something like be careful of Gilroyt, wouldn’t that be okay?

With that thought, I reached his bedroom.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Arnold, who was walking out closing the bedroom door, discovered me and greeted me.

“It’s been a while, Arnold. Is His Majesty inside?”

“Yes, Your Highness. He just finished his morning training and went in.”

“I see.”

Morning training.

Leoprick was usually diligent, so I nodded at his words without much thought.

Since he had returned from morning training, he would be resting in his room.

“Alright. I’ll go in and see him.”

“Have you come to see His Majesty?”

As I was about to pass by him like that, I felt Arnold’s surprised gaze.

As if it was impossible for me to come to see Leoprick.

I narrowed my eyes at that reaction and turned my head to look at Arnold.

“What’s so strange about me going to see my husband?”

Perhaps because that absurd nuance was quite flustering, my frustrated feelings came out just like that.

No, it came out in a slightly sharper tone than I thought.

“I, I misspoke, Your Highness! I just thought you might have something to instruct…”

As a slightly sharp voice came out, Arnold hurriedly bowed and apologized.

His figure bowing so low as if he had committed a great sin made me feel unnecessarily embarrassed.

I softened my voice considerably and waved my hand.

“It’s fine. I got a bit sensitive because of the reactions. I should be the one apologizing.”

Was it a mistake to try to see Leoprick?

This is why they say it’s a disease to do something you don’t usually do.

Look now.

Didn’t it make Arnold look at me even more strangely?

Sighing deeply inwardly, I thought about just turning back after all.

“I apologize. I’m sure His Majesty will be pleased to see that you have come.”

If it weren’t for what Arnold said, glancing at my expression, I probably would have.

Right, it’s a bit much to just go back after coming all the way here.

It’s not that he’ll particularly like it.

It’s just that I have something to tell him anyway.

I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure I’ll be able to say something when I see his face.

With that thought, I erased the idea of turning back that I had just had in my mind.

“Yes. I’ll go in. You were on your way to do something His Majesty ordered, right?”

“Ah. Yes, yes. I was. Then I’ll get going too. I’ll call His Majesty’s servant soon, so if you need anything, you can tell that child.”

“Alright.”

As I nodded slightly, Arnold bowed again to greet me and then walked down the hallway and disappeared.

After making sure he had turned the corner at the end of the corridor and was no longer visible, I could finally let out a slow breath.

Doing something you don’t usually do is really difficult.

I thought again that I had taken a difficult step and finally stood in front of his room.

With my hand raised to knock, I took a short deep breath.

What is this that I’m getting nervous about?

After a short hesitation, I knocked on the door, and I heard his voice from inside telling me to come in.

So the moment I carefully opened the door and entered.

“You’re here? I’ll have breakfast here, so tell the kitchen.”

“……”

Oh my goodness.

I froze on the spot, unable to open or close the door.

Oh my goodness.

No other words came to mind.

No, there was no time to think of other words.

Leoprick, who had his back to the door, was shirtless.

The curtains of the window were open, letting bright sunlight fill the room, making his bare body even more visible.

The sturdy physique built through long training and exercise was clearly revealed.

The pure curves of muscles that make even me, a woman, naturally say it’s beautiful.

That kind of state.

“Gail, didn’t you hear me…?”

Unable to say that I don’t see what I see in front of me, but also unable to say that I’m looking at it, I was frozen in place like that.

Leoprick, holding something in his hand, turned his head.

“……”

“……Amelia?”

Just like that, our eyes met.